The two Boulder police officers charged with DUIs in separate cases last year have both resigned from the department, according to Chief Mark Beckner.

Scott Morris, 40, was arrested on suspicion of DUI by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office in November, while Elizabeth Ward, 46, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in December in Thornton.

After an internal personnel investigation, a review panel recommended both Morris -- a 12-year veteran of the department -- and Ward -- a five year veteran -- be terminated, but both resigned before any ruling was made.

"Anytime one of our members gets arrested for any violation we're disappointed," Beckner said Friday. "It reflects negatively on the department, but I think it's important for the community to look at the department as a whole. It's disappointing, but remember there are a lot of great employees working for this organization."

Det. Scott Morris (Boulder County Sheriff's Office)

With the resignations of Ward and Morris, five Boulder police officers have resigned in the last year after being arrested.

Christian McCracken resigned after being charged with attempted murder and stalking before pleading guilty to one count of stalking. Sam Carter and Brent Curnow also resigned after being arrested and charged with nine counts in the shooting and disposing of an elk in the Mapleton Hill area on Jan. 1.

Ward, who was the department's DUI officer, was spotted by an off-duty Arvada police officer weaving on Interstate 25 in Thornton on Dec. 4.

By the time an on-duty Thornton officer reached Ward, she had pulled off onto the side of the road on her own, according to police.

When asked why she had pulled over, Ward said, "I'm drunk," and the officer noted an odor of alcohol and that Ward's speech was slurred and her eyes were bloodshot, according to the report. When she exited the car to perform a roadside sobriety test, officers noted she had a hard time standing up and eventually declined to perform the maneuvers.

Morris, a detective, was pulled over on Nov. 15 on northbound U.S. 36 near Middle Fork Road after a deputy clocked his Honda sedan going 76 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to a sheriff's office report.

The arresting deputy noted that after Morris exited his vehicle, he appeared nervous, with bloodshot, watery eyes and breath smelling of alcohol. When asked to perform a roadside sobriety test, Morris responded, "Can't you just cut me a ticket?" according to the report. When asked again, Morris complied, then was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Morris told the arresting deputy that he had begun drinking in his car about half an hour before being pulled over, according to the report. He said he had consumed half a pint of peppermint schnapps, according to the report.

His vehicle also contained Boulder Police Department SWAT team gear, including loaded magazines for an assault rifle.

Several of the deputies who participated in the traffic stop recognized him from previous stops, and one of them said Morris had been pulled over 44 times in the past, according to the report.

Ward is scheduled for an arraignment in Adams County on April 4. Morris was scheduled for a pre-trial conference in Boulder County earlier today.

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